How severe is CVE-2016-9538?

CVE-2016-9538 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.

Is CVE-2016-9538 being actively exploited?

It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (87th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.

What products are affected by CVE-2016-9538?

CVE-2016-9538 affects Libtiff. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.

How do I fix CVE-2016-9538?

Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.

When was CVE-2016-9538 published?

CVE-2016-9538 was published on 2016-11-22 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

CVE-2016-9538

CVE-2016-9538 is a critical-severity vulnerability in Libtiff with a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8. It is not currently listed as actively exploited by CISA, and its EPSS exploit-prediction score is low. The underlying weakness is classified as CWE-190.

Key facts

Severity: Critical (CVSS 3.x base score 9.8)
CVSS v2: 7.5
EPSS exploit prediction: 3% (87th percentile)
Actively exploited: Not listed in CISA KEV
Weakness: CWE-190
Affected product: Libtiff
Published: 2016-11-22
Last modified: 2026-06-17

Description

tools/tiffcrop.c in libtiff 4.0.6 reads an undefined buffer in readContigStripsIntoBuffer() because of a uint16 integer overflow. Reported as MSVR 35100.

Frequently asked questions

What is CVE-2016-9538?: tools/tiffcrop.c in libtiff 4.0.6 reads an undefined buffer in readContigStripsIntoBuffer() because of a uint16 integer overflow. Reported as MSVR 35100.
How severe is CVE-2016-9538?: CVE-2016-9538 has a CVSS 3.x base score of 9.8, rated critical severity. It is exploitable over network with low attack complexity, requires no privileges and no user interaction. Impact on confidentiality is high, integrity high, and availability high.
Is CVE-2016-9538 being actively exploited?: It is not currently listed in CISA's KEV catalog. Its EPSS exploit-prediction score is 3% (87th percentile), an estimate of the probability of exploitation in the next 30 days.
What products are affected by CVE-2016-9538?: CVE-2016-9538 affects Libtiff. See the affected-products list for the exact vulnerable versions.
How do I fix CVE-2016-9538?: Review the linked vendor and NVD advisories for patched versions and mitigations, then upgrade or apply the recommended workaround. Given its critical severity, prioritise patching exposed systems.
When was CVE-2016-9538 published?: CVE-2016-9538 was published on 2016-11-22 and last updated on 2026-06-17.

References

Affected products (1)

cpe:2.3:a:libtiff:libtiff:4.0.6:*:*:*:*:*:*:*

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CVE-2016-9540 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): tools/tiffcp.c in libtiff 4.0.6 has an out-of-bounds write on tiled images with odd tile width versus image width.…
CVE-2016-9539 — Critical (CVSS 9.8): tools/tiffcrop.c in libtiff 4.0.6 has an out-of-bounds read in readContigTilesIntoBuffer(). Reported as MSVR 35092.
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